Halibut Fishing 101

Want to try halibut fishing in the bay from my kayak. I have a few questions:

1. How do you disable and secure the halibut once you net it? Do you bonk it on the head, tie it to the kayak then put it over board while you continue to fish?

2. Do you bleed the fish, i.e. cut the gills?

3. If undersize, do you use a tool to remove the hook? Needle nose pliers? Hook extractor?

4. How do you keep the live bait alive? Small cooler with aerator?

1.   Halibut don't "bonk" so well.  Secure it with the game clip and call it a day. 
2. I leave mine live on the game clip dragging on a short line off the boat.  Live is fresh.
3. Remove hook with needle nose pliars or hook release devise
4.  I troll.  You could use an aerator with a bucket for shiners though, they are super hardy.

I actually prefer to gaff halibut. I carry a net for marginal sized fish, but I haven't hooked a marginal sized hali in a few years. All of mine since have come on swimbaits and were healthy specimens of 12-15#

My first step to landing halibut is to have a game clip open & ready. I then bring my bonker to within easy reach. During this time the fish is usually placidly hanging beneath the kayak.

with the reel drag light (in case I miss) I will gaff the fish and bring it partially onboard, then drop the rod and grab the bonker for one good, immobilizing whack. Then it is a scramble to get the clip into the gills and closed. The clip is tethered, so the fish is then mine. I don't bleed my fish since I'm usually in a spot that doesn't mix well with blood in the water. Instead I'll put them in the tankwell, cover them with burlap and keep them wet. Once onshore they go straight into a cooler with ice.

beware if you use purchased ice or any ice made from a municipal water source, as the chlorine can have an impact on fish. I use well water frozen into quart milk cartons.

Have a set of longnosed pliers to remove hooks.

1.   Halibut don't "bonk" so well.  Secure it with the game clip and call it a day. 
2. I leave mine live on the game clip dragging on a short line off the boat.  Live is fresh.
3. Remove hook with needle nose pliars or hook release devise
4.  I troll.  You could use an aerator with a bucket for shiners though, they are super hardy.

I don't know why they would be much different than pacific halibut.  After I secure a halibut I bleed and pull their guts out to prevent the worms in their gut moving to the meat.  Cut the gills at least.

I'd be honored if you took a look at this recent article in Kayak Fishing Magazine:

http://www.kayakfishingmagazine.net/articles/102-current-issue-featured-articles-on-kayak-fishing/1932-the-end-game.html


Bushy

Cut the gills at least.

I have done this. It works wonders to calm the fish down indeed.

Gaff, clip, bonk, cut gills, then gut is my procedure.

I clip BEFORE bonking. A misplaced bonk can make your fish go berserk. Better to have it clipped just in case.

For the best quality meat, you want to accomplish all of that as quickly as possible. As a fish struggles and stresses (like a live fish dangling from a stringer) lactic acid builds up in the flesh, causing the flesh to break down to a degree.

This one's ready for a clip and a bonk:

That things a TOAD!  25 pounds plus correct?  Muir?

Gaff, clip, bonk, cut gills, then gut is my procedure.

I clip BEFORE bonking. A misplaced bonk can make your fish go berserk. Better to have it clipped just in case.

Yeah, I may have to attempt going this route. I've previously been relying on a solid gaff strike to hold the fish, but a couple of times now once I bonked it the hooks flew out and the fish was only held by the gaff for a few seconds while I clipped it. No bueno.
My goal with legal  halibut is "none shall escape" so this tip will be on my mind if I'm fortunate enough to hook one this season.

3. If undersize, do you use a tool to remove the hook? Needle nose pliers? Hook extractor?

You may already know this, but don't net an undersize fish (salmon too). Leave it in the water. The net will cut the tail and scrape off all the slime and scales, killing it.

I've only caught a handful of undersized halibut, so I don't have a ton of experience releasing them. My go-to halibut technique is tossing swimbaits, and they RARELY get hooked deep. I can usually bring them beside the boat, grab the lead head, and shake them free without ever touching them or lifting them out of the water.

If I had to hold one steady to remove a deep hook (as with bait fishing), I would gently hold the fish steady in the water by its tail. Or even gently lift it on to my lap if needed. Salmon and halibut tails make nice "handles". Just be gentle, avoid quick movements, and try to keep the fish calm and wet while you dig out the hooks.

You want to avoid contact as much as possible, but one of the most important things to avoid is "splitting" the fishes tail, which often leads to infection. Nets with wide, loose, or abrasive mesh are halibut killers.

Gaff, clip, bonk, cut gills, then gut is my procedure.

I clip BEFORE bonking. A misplaced bonk can make your fish go berserk. Better to have it clipped just in case.

Yeah, I may have to attempt going this route. I've previously been relying on a solid gaff strike to hold the fish, but a couple of times now once I bonked it the hooks flew out and the fish was only held by the gaff for a few seconds while I clipped it. No bueno.
My goal with legal  halibut is "none shall escape" so this tip will be on my mind if I'm fortunate enough to hook one this season.

I would completely agree about clipping before bonking. I had a beautiful 20 lb halibut jump off my gaff and swim off. Since changing my procedure
I haven't lost a halibut since.

Follow that exact procedure.

Gaff/Net -->CLIP--> BONG--> GILL (works most of the time, All the time) Lol.

Gaff and clip, as quick as possible.
(I clip while it's hanging from the gaff and don't let the fish's tail/body touch the water OR the deck of my kayak)
Then you can bonk it, bleed it, walk it, whatever...just make sure you get it on the clip first.

And it helps to bring 2 clips when halibut fishing. Just in case you catch more than one 30lber. 

Ha! I haven't had that "problem" yet.

I always bring tow clips now
May as well be optimistic on each trip out!